Apparatus for treating carbonaceous material



Feb. 4, 1936. H. DERBY El AL APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Oct. 6, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb, 4, 1936. H. DERBY El AL APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Oct. 6, 1932 8 Sheets$heet 2 attorneys.

Feb. 4, 1936. H. DERBY ET AL APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Oct. 6, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 :E l ii Ira Z1 ZJ r y firoZJ flHor/nrr Cttor'negs Feb. 4, 1936. DERBY ET AL 2,029,760

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 6, 1952 Gltorncgn.

Feb. 4, 1936. I. H. DERBY ET AL 2,029,760

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Oct. 6, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 l. H. DElBY ET AL Filed 06 6, 1932 'Jrmentors Ira E 178 7*5 Z7groZa R-Eov'ne'r (Ittornega APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Feb. 4, 1936.

Feb. 4, 1936. H. DERBY r-:r AL

APPARATUSFOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Oct. 6, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 ai-32a...

? g Gttorncgs.

Patented Feb. 4, 1936 PATENT OFFICE r APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBO- NACEOUS MATERIAL Ira H. Derby and Harold R. Hornet, Indianapolis, Ind., assignors to Peter C. Reilly, Indianapolis,

Ind.

Application October 6, 1932, Serial No. 636,610

11 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for heating carbonaceous materials under such temperatures and conditions as will yield the greatest amount of valuable materials or substances such as condensates, a considerable carbon residue, and certain gases;-and this under maximum thermal efiiciency and minimum operating costs.

By carbonaceous material we refer to such substances as coal, lignite, wood, oil shale, coal tar pitch, petroleum coke, pitch coke, and any other material that when heated yields certain of the substances or bodies just above mentioned.

By condensate we mean all the condensible volatile matter resulting from the distillation of the above named materials.

By gas we mean such substances as do not liquefy under normal conditions.

Following the history of the coal carbonizing art from the early beehive oven down to the present highly efficient verticals and by-product ovens the trend has been towards greater heating surface per unit of charge. At present the by-product ovens with a charge capacity of 15 tons have extended their walls to approximately 38 ft. long by 3.2 ft. high by 20 in. between walls. The beehive oven with equal capacity was approximately 12 it. in diameter by approximately ft. to the crown. Thus the increased heating surface has been obtained at the expense of an'increase in the size of the equipment. More recently designers have been attempting to obtain large heating surfaces in smaller units by the use of rotarics, internal heating, etc. The one great objection to internal heating is the uncertainty of uniformly heating the entire mass of the charge. This nonunifcrmity is caused by the common. law of flow through the paths of least resistance, thus causing the more porous parts of the charge to become overheated while the less porous portions of the charge are practically untreated. This is especially true in coking a mass of coal. In the gas producer design the porosity of the coking mass of coal is obtained by mechanical pokers, moving grates, etc. In the coal carbon 17mg retort where coke is one of the products this mechanical increment would be unsatisfactory due to the amount of breeze produced.

The underlying feature of our process is to obtain uniform heating of the mass throughout and without disturbance of the charge. This is accomplished by forming within the mass predetermined channels through which the gases or vapors are drawn, thechannels in the aggregate creating and affording a large-surface of contact for such gases or vapors and a uniform distribution of the same throughout the mass. This arrangement enables one to use a relatively small retort and to carry out the process continuously, intermittently, or in batch operations.

One form of apparatus whereby the method may be effected, and more particularly as a continuous operation, is depicted in the annexed drawings wherein Fig. l is a side elevation of the apparatus with 10 parts in section and elevation, the former being a portion of the transfer chamber and the still proper and the latter the receiving chamber for the coked material;

Fig. 2, a horizontal sectional view taken on the lir: II-II of Fig. 1, the shearing plunger being shown as having been moved to its extreme position;

Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view through the retort, the underlying elevating ram and. associated 20 elements, the section being taken on the line III--III of Fig. 1, it being understood that but a single charge of material is shown in Fig. 3 as against two superimposed charges in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, a vertical sectional view of the retort and the receiving and discharge chambers with an initial charge moved upwardly into the retort from the pan with the pan bottom in supporting position preparatory to withdrawing the elevating plunger and receiving a second pan full of material to be treated;

Fig. 5, a longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the initial pan-receiving chamber, the transfer chamber, and a portion of the retort, there being two charges shown in the retort with the pan bottom which supports the upper portion of the charge in position preparatory to its being moved outwardly therefrom;

Fig. 6, a like view of the discharge side of the apparatus, the pan or receptacle bottom inter- 40 posed between the upper and lower sections of the charge as in Fig. 5, having been pushed outwardly to the right to a position where it approximates its full travel ready to drop downwardly into the adjacent pan or receptacle into the initial discharge chamber, or more correctly the pan located in such chamber;

Fig. 7, a horizontal sectional view taken on an enlarged scale on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6;

- Fig. 8, an enlarged detail verticalsectional view showing a portion of one of the pan bottoms, one of the supporting latches therefor, one of the push rods designed to move the bottom trans versely from beneath the charge, and a portion of an underlying pan or receptacle from which tom shown in said figure is removed Fig. 9, a vertical sectional view taken on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8, showing one of the latches cooperating with a pan or receptacle bottom;

Fig. 10, a detail horizontal Sectional View taken on the line XX of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11, a transverse vertical sectional view of the initial pan-receiving chamber and the supporting truck therefor, taken on the line XI-XI of Fig. 1; I v

I Fig. 12, a vertical detail sectional view on the line IHIXII of Fig.4 illustrative of the stop mechanisms employed to prevent over-traveling of the pans or containers as they are introduced above the lifting plunger or platform preparatory. to being moved upwardly into the retort;

Fig. 13, a detail vertical sectional view showing one of a plurality of rods which may be employed to support a pan bottom instead of the latch mechanism heretofore referred to;

Fig. 13 a vertical sectional view taken on the line XIII -XI[II of Fig. 13;

Fig. 14, a perspective View of one of the chargereceiving receptacles;

Fig. 15, a like view of one of the perforate receptacle bottoms;

Fig. 16, a detail fragmentary perspective view of means employed to introduce channeling material into the pan or receptacle preparatory to filling the body of the pan with the material to be coked;

Fig. 17, a similar view-of dies 'or closure caps for the upper ends of the tubular members shown in Fig. 16 employed preparatory to filling the pan with the material to be coked;

Fig. 18, a transverse vertical sectional view of one of the pans, the removable bottom thereof, tubes and tube closures, a portion of the figure to the right and left, showing the material to be 'coked and the spacer material in position; and

Fig. 19, a transverse sectional view showing the pan with the material therein, the material and the inert channeling or spacing material being shown in their final position.

The apparatus herein shown is designed primarily for operation upon a plurality of batches fed to the retort in succession and it will be described with that in view although, as will be apparent from the following description, the

retort and accessory parts may be employed to final discharge chamber for the empty pans or receptacles. f

It is designed, in the operation of the apparatus, to present a charge with pre-formed channels therein" to the retort and to draw the combustion gases or other heating medium downwardly through said channels whereby the upper' layer will be carbonized and the remaining portion will be heated, the heating effect becoming less as the bottom of the charge is reached. After the upper layer of the charge is converted it is sheared off and the remainder of the charge 2,029,769 'a charge may be moved upwardly after the botis rnoved toward the source of heat so that the surface which is exposed by the shearing off will be brought into proper position with reference to the heating means. This operation is continued until the charge is completely converted.

The channels in the charge may be formed in any suitable way, insofar as the generic 'invention is concerned, but preferably, and in order to present the charges as such separately to the apparatus, we prefer to employ a pan or receptacle having a perforated false bottom and to place the charge in such receptacle and form a series of predetermined channels therethrough.

Referring to Figs. 14 to 18, both inclusive, I denotes a receptacle or container, a plurality of which willbe employed in carrying out the process. The receptacle is shown as rectangular in cross section and provided at the corners at one.

end with laterally extending vertically .disposed guides. or ways 2 and 3. The lower portion of the receptacle or container has secured thereto h-shaped angle bars 4 and bearing strips 5 and 5 secured to the inner lower margin of the walls. The receptacle or container is thus strengthened and the elements above mentioned have, in addition to their strengthening function, other functions as will presently appear.

There is secured to thelower edge of what may be termed the forward face of the receptacle a cross beam 6 and a similar beam 1 is secured to the'opposite outer face. These beams lie in the same common plane and contact each other as the containers are pushed through the apparatus, thus relieving the walls of the containers from direct strain.

The bottom of the receptacle or container is removable and, as best shown in Fig. 15, is formed from a plate, as 8, having a plurality of perforations!) therein. The plate is provided at its center with a stiffening bar In and at each side with an L-shaped angle bar denoted by H and I2, respectively (see Fig. 19). At one end of each of the bars II and I2 there is provided an outwardly extending finger or lug denoted by I3 and I4 respectively. These lugs are of such dimension as to pass freely into the vertically disposed guides or ways 2 and 3 when the bottom plate 8 moves downwardly within the container. They. also perform a further function which will be brought out in the description of the operation of the apparatus. When fully pocharge material as it is placed therein, the following means may be employed to that end. A series of tubes l5 are interconnected at their upper ends by a series of spacer bars IS, the outermost members of which are permanently attached to a rectangular frame formed of angle irons H. The frame is of such dimension that when placed over the receptacle l the outwardly extending nanges ofthe members I! will rest upon the upper edges of the walls of the receptacle and hold the lower ends slightly spaced from the bottom 8, as best shown in Fig.,1

-When in this position the tubes are filled with an inert material, such for instance as granulated coke formed as the resultof a prior run of the process. When the tubes are thus filled the upper ends thereof are closed by cap pieces of a movable platform or truck 26.

l8 secured to cross bars 19 which are supported in turn by a frame 20 formedof angle iron and of such size as to fit over the frame member IT. The cap pieces I 8 will thus be positioned directly over the upperv ends of the tubes and the receptacle will be filled all around the tubes by charging the desired material, such as coal, into the same. When the receptacle is filled the cap-carrying frame will be first lifted and then the tube-supporting frame will be carefully raised, pulling the tubes I5 from the charge and thus producing a series of channels denoted by 2| in Fig. 19. As the tubes are drawn outwardly the granulated material will spread out and fill.

the spaces left by the thickness of the withdrawn tubes. As will be seen upon reference to Fig. 18, the tubes extend upwardly above the proper level of the charge of material within the receptacle, hence as the tubes are withdrawn the material contained therein will spread out as above noted and as a consequence the upper surface of the completed charge thus formed ,within the receptacle is substantially level.

While we have described the use of the cover caps l8 for the tubes l5 their use is not absolutely essential but is preferable inasmuch as the coal, which might drop down upon the material within the tubes, would tend to compact the material and in a measure destroy its function of affording a channel substantially nonresistant to the flow gases therethrough.

It will be appreciated, of course, that insofar as the present invention is concerned the channels may be formed in other ways. Thus, for instance, paper tubes might be positioned upon the false bottom 8 and such tubes filled with" inert granular material. Such paper tubes would, of course, burn away during the carbonization operation. They are shown at l5 in chamber B of Fig. 1.

The charged pans or receptacles will first be placed within the receiving chamber A. Said chamber, as will be best seen upon reference to Fig. 11, is provided with oppositely disposed doors 22 and 23 having means to insure tight closure thereof after one of the receptacles has been placed therein. In the base of the chamber (see more particularly Figs. 5 and 11) is a trackway denoted by 24 designed to receive the wheels The tracks align with a track-way 21 (see Figs. 2 and 11) located outward of the chamber A.

As will be seen upon reference to Fig. 11, that section of the track 21 which is adjacent the door 22 will be hinged, or made otherwise movable, so that it may be swung away from the door to permit the same to be opened.

The chamber A is mounted upon a suitable supporting structure 28.

When position-ed within the chamber A the pan or receptacle! (see Fig. 5) stands in alignment with an opening leading to the intake transfer chamber B, the bottom of said chamber being provided with fixed rails 29 onto and over which the receptacle or pan is pushed from the chamber A by an hydraulic ram 30 which takes against the cross rail l of the receptacle I.

hydraulic ram denoted generally by 32.

gate will be normally closed except and only when into the combustion chamber D above the arch and are employed to introduce any desired fuel, such as gas passing from a water or producer gas set or the make gas passing from the apparatus. Such gas may be enriched if need be with any desired fuel. burn any of the above mentioned fuels in an oxidizing atmosphere so that part of the heat is generated by the partial burning out of the spacer material. The burners will be so constructed as to entrain the proper amount of air to insure complete combustion within the combustion chamber. It will be understood that any form of fuel may be employed.

As will be seen upon reference to Fig. 3, the

retort C is extended laterally, as at 31, to receive and normally house a ram or shearing member 38 movable across the retort to shear off the upper or transformed layer of a charge and to force it into the off-take chamber E which is in com- :a'

munication with the retort at its upper end. The lower end of the off-take chamber E will be closed in any desired manner and the finished material will be removed therefrom from time to time. suitable manner, as by an hydraulic cylinder (not shown). At its end the ram 38 is provided with blocks 39 which take into guideways 40 formed in the walls of the retort.

As will be seen upon reference to Figs. 3 and 4,

a transverse partition M closes off the lower end of the retort, said partition being supported in any suitable manner, as by the structural elements forming the support for the retort. Located beneath the partition or closure 4| is an hydraulic cylinder 42, the piston rod 43 whereof has secured thereto a charge elevating head 7 which may be formed by a series of I-beams 44 supported upon and secured to the upper edges of two transversely extending beams 44 and M secured to the upper end of the piston 43. The head thus formed is of a skeleton structure'and is of such dimension that it will pass freely into the lower end of one of the receptacles, contacting the bottom 8 thereof and serving to elevate the same as the piston rod or plunger 43 is moved upwardly.

Upon reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the refractory 34 is omitted in line with the openings which afford communication between the retort and the chambers B and F. Spaces are thus formed for the laterally extending guides 2 and 3 of the pan or receptacle, which latter passes from the tracks 29 onto tracks 29 (Fig. 3) supported upon the refractory at the lower cutaway portion thereof. This arrangement allows the inner side faces of the side walls of the pans to lie flush with the inner face of the refractory 34 and, as a consequence, the elevating head may move upwardly into contact with the pan bottom and raise said bottom, and the full charge thereon, into the retort without internal disturbance of the body of the charge, leaving the pan resting upon the tracks. 29.

In order to properly position the pan or recep- The member 38 will be actuated in any It is also possible to receptacle into the retort proper.

tacle which is being moved into the lower portion of the retort and over the charge elevating head any suitable stop mechanism may be employed. In the instant case we have shown a series of stops 45 (see more particularly Figs. 4 and 12) secured to a shaft 46. Said shaft in the instant case is shown as provided with a handle 41 for throwing the stops downwardly through oscillation of the shaft when it is desired to move a receptacle from the lower portion of the retort into the chamber F. These stops, it will be appreciated, may be manipulated in any desired manner.

' It is to be noted that during the pushing operation of the various pans or receptacles through the apparatus the cross beam 6 of one pan will contact the. cross beam 1 of the pan ahead of it and thus do away with any tendency to distort the body of the pan.

Referring to Fig. 4, and assuming the apparatus is just coming into operation and that but a single receptacle has been advanced from the chamber B into the retort C and over the charge elevating head, the head is raised through the action of the piston and the false bottom 8 will be forced upwardly, carrying the charge from the During the final portion of the upward movement the bottom 8 will contact two series of latches, denoted by 48 and49 respectively. One series, as dB, is arranged upon one side of the retort while the other series, as 49, is oppositely disposed. The under faces of the latches are beveled and hence, as the bottom 8 contacts them they will be moved inwardly against springs 50 which serve normal- 1y to project the latches. Thus when the bottom 8 is moved upwardly by the charge elevating head wardly from 'a receptacle, as I, in the lower portion of the retort.

Under usual operating conditions the charge elevating head is lowered and a second charged pan or receptacle is moved into the retort and beneath the charge which has been elevated. The charge in this second pan may be raised slightly by the elevating head so that it contacts the bottom 8 then beneath the uppermost charge. This position is depicted in Fig. 5. The pan bottom 8 of the uppermost charge, as shown in Fig. 5, is then removed and to this end a pair of plungers and 52 are employed. These plungersare designed to be operated hydraulically or by any other means. Moving inwardly they engage the lugs l3 and Id. of the bottom 8- and force the. same laterally out of the retort. The bottom thus removed passes into the chamber F and over an empty pan or receptacle I which is placed therein to receive it or which may be present by reason of the cycle of operations of the apparatus.

As will be seen upon reference to Fig. 6, the pan or receptacle bottom 8 slides along the upper edges of the sides of the pan or receptacle, the lugs I3 and I4 preventing it from dropping down into the pan or receptacle until the lugs align with the guideways 2 and 3 respectively. When this position is reached the pan bottom will drop down until it comes to rest upon the elements 5 and 5 The empty pan or receptacle with the bottom placed therein will be moved outwardly from the chamber F when a new loaded receptacle is being aoaaveo placed within the retort. i In'the meantime, however, chamber F issealed at its outer end by. a gate or closure 53 mounted in suitable guides and raised and lowered through the operation of an hydraulic cylinder 54. I The empty pan or receptacle with a bottom 8 fully positioned therein is removed from the chamber F into the chamber G when the gate or partition 53 is lowered and another charged receptacle is being positioned in the retort.

A trackway 55 is provided on the floor of the chamber F and a continuation thereof, as 56, extends from the right hand side of the gate '(Fig. 6) into the chamber G. This chamber is provided with tracks 51 to receive a truck 58 onto which an empty pan or receptacle I is placed. To insure proper positioning of the receptacle upon the truck 58 there is provided a withdrawing mechanism, such as is shown in Fig. 6. It

may be said to comprise a piston rod 59 extend- ,1

ing from an hydraulic cylinder 60 and carrying at its inner end a pair of jaws BI, 62 normally 'drawn together by'a tension spring 63.

As will be seen, the outer end of each jaw GI, 62 is rounded and as the piston rod is moved inwardly the jaws will slide over the flange of the member 6 and then close upon said member. Retraction of the piston rod 59 then draws the receptacle fully onto the trucks. The truck with the receptacle thereon may then be moved outwardly upon opening of the door 64 (Figs. 1- and 2) onto an outside trackway 65 which may extend to the point where the pans or receptacles are recharged. It will of course be appreciated that as the pan is moved outwardly of the chamber G the beam 6 will slide through the hooks 6| and 62.

Upon reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the lower end of the retort which is closed off by the partition M is in communication with a pipe 66 which leads to the well known train of gas cooling, extracting, scrubbing and exhauster equipment (all not shown). The exhauster draws ofi the gases and establishes a suction downwardly through the retort and throughout the inert channels in the charge. A drain pipe 61 is also in communication with the lower end ,of the retort for removing all the material that condenses in the charge and which will run ofi as a liquid. The pipe 67 may lead to a. tar sump upper face of each of which is recessed to receive a the rods. The rods 68, as will be seen in Fig. 13, pass through openings formed in the structural elements l0 and 'H' employed in building up the retort. It will thus be seen that the rods will sustain the pan bottom after the head is lowered and will therefore hold the charge resting upon the bottom in proper position in the retort.

Inactual practice the removable bottoms for a pan or receptacle six feet square were formed of one-quarter inch plate steel or iron with holes one-quarter inch in diameter where fine coal was being treated. With a pan or receptacle of the size just noted we employed tubes of two and three-quarter inches internal diameter in the placement of the channel-forming material in the charge. These tubeswere spaced from each other a distance of approximately eight inches from center to center. However, these figures are mentioned merely to show what has been actually employed and not in the way of limitation.

From three to eight mesh coke, which is undesirable for domestic or steam purposes, was employed to fill the tubes and'after the tubes were filled, as above noted, the spaces between them and the walls of the pan were filled with coal. As all or substantially all of the combustion gases or heating medium passed through the preformed channels the size or caking properties of the coal was found to be immaterial. The process was found to operate satisfactorily with either fine mesh screenings, mine run, or lump coals.

It is thought that the operation of the apparatus will be clear from the foregoing description but a short resume will be given.

A series of pans or receptacles I are filled so as to produce a series of. pre-formed channels of inert material extending therethrough from top to bottom. The door or closure 3| being lowered and the elevating head likewise being lowered a charged pan is first inserted into the receiving chamber A and then moved by the plunger 30 into chamber B. Another charged pan is then inserted into the chamber A and advanced onto the track 29 until its beam 6 contacts the beam 1 of the pan in the chamber B when it will move said latter pan onto the tracks 29 in the retort C and over the elevating head. It will of course be appreciated that the door 3| must be closed as soon as the pan is fully moved into the retort. The head is then moved upwardly, contacting the pan bottom 8 and moving the. bottom and the charge imposed thereon out of the receptacle and into the upper portion of the retort.

As the charge reaches its proper elevation, as is indicated in Fig. 4, the bottom will be held by the latches 49, or by the rods 68 as the case may be. The head is then lowered and another charged pan is pushed into the lower portion of the retort through the cycle of operations above described.

As the second charge is moved inwardly the pan I, from which the previous charge has been removed and elevated, will be pushed outwardly into the chamber F by the incoming pan. The bottom 8 of the first inserted charge, or that which is resting upon the latches as shown in Fig. 4, will then be pushed outwardly into the chamber F by the rams 5|, 52, the bottom sliding at its forward end on the lugs l3, l4 which rest upon the upper edge of the pan and being guided.

by an opening in one of the castings forming a portion of the retort structure. When the lugs I3 and I4 align with the guideways 2 and 3 the bottom will drop downwardly into the empty pan.

.At the same time the uppermost charge within the retort will settle to a slight extentupon the charge introduced beneath the same.

When the second pan is moved into the retort the gate 31 will be closed and inasmuch as the gate 53 is likewise closed the products of combustion emanating from the burners and the combustion chamber will be drawn downwardly through the pre-formed channels by the action of the exhauster connected to the pipe 66 and initiate the carbonizing action.

By varying the quantity of gas and the rapidity of combustion within the combustion chamber D the temperature may be regulated, thus con- .this point.

trolling the temperature at the surface of the charge within the retort. The exhauster creates a suction within the lower portion of the retort and thus produces a reduced pressure or vacuum throughout the system. This vacuum draws the hot gases downwardly through the preformed channels within the charge and subjects the upper surface of the charge not only to the direct heating effect of the gases but to the heat which may pass laterally through the coke within the channels. The radiant heat from the checker work 35 also aids in bringing the temperature of the upper layer of the coal to the carbonizing temperature and 700 Cl is reached in arelatively short time,-approximately five minutes. The upper zone of the layer undergoing treatment may be termed the coking zone, the intermediate portion of the charge a distilling zone, and the lower portion of the charge a drying zone. The

combustion gases with the products of distillation from the first or coking zone pass on down through the distilling zone. Within this latter the rising temperature is much slower than in the coking zone and only reaches approximately 400 C. at the end of forty minutes distillation. This is no doubt partly due to the fact that a large percentage of the distillate comes off the coal at 400 C., from. the coking zone and is washed down through the coal into the second zone and tends to depress the temperature at It is also due to the fact that the sensible heat of the gases has been greatly absorbedin the first zone. The third or drying zone is still slower in approaching the distillation temperature due to the same causes and when the combustion gases reach the perforated pan bottom 8 of the lowermost charge they are at steam'temperature or lower. The coal in this and gases and products of distillation pass out through the perforations in the pan bottom 8 at i a temperature of approximately 150 F. They are carried out through the pipe 66 into suitable condensing and exhaustingiequipment The final gas, after it is dried, is in reality a diluted coal gas. It has a 13.13. u. value of approximately which makes it a very satisfactory fuel for industrial purposes and it may be utilized in carrying on the heating operation of a second retort or the like. After the heating operation has been carried on for approximately seven minutes the top layer of the coal will have reached its maximum coking temperature. The ram 42 is then started and the elevating head lifts the charge to the desired extent or to that degree which will carry the coked mass up to a point where it may be sheared off by the ram 38 and forced into the receiving chamber E. The depth of coke varies from two to four inches but it is to be understood that we do not desire to limit ourselves to the shearing off of this depth as we have found that it is satisfactory to carbonize several feet before the entire charge in the apparatus as above set I forth before the carbonized material is removed, by shearing or otherwise.

\ The charge elevating head, instead of being periodically raised, may be continuously raised and the shearing ram 38 moved back and forth to remove successive charges but the operation previously specified is preferred.

The ram 42 will continue to be operated until the pan bottom 8 which underlies what may be termed a double charge reaches the latches and is engaged thereby. It is then lowered to its fullest extent and another charged pan is introduced into the r'etort C. The ram 42 is then moved upwardly so that the charge in the pan just introduced contacts the pan bottom 8 above it or is moved from the position shown in Fig. 5 upwardly until the space between the top of the new charge and the overlying pan bottom 8 of the previous charge is closed. The plungers 5| and 52 are then brought into operation to remove the bottom 8 of the previous charge into the chamber F and into the empty pan therein, as

hereinbefore described.

Ultimately the' empty pan with the bottom therein will be drawn into the chamber G and onto the truck 58 therein and then, as heretofore noted, moved outwardly to a point where the pan is refilled.

The doors or closures 3| and 53 will of course be operated in proper sequence and will remain closed during the carbonizing period.

With an apparatus as above set forth the temperatures of carbonization remain substantially constant, and the heat absorption in the carbonizing zone is complete and the operation from a heating standpoint is continuous.

In the broader aspect of the invention the transfer chambers B and F may be omitted and the chambers A and G directly connected to the retort C. So too one might move either chamber A or G directly up to the retort, omitting all This latter arrangement however would tend to slow down the operation as there would necessarily be a period of time in which no charge would \be within theretort. The arrangement first described is the preferred one as better control of the suction or vacuum obtaining within the retort is had and furthermore it enables a with the two modifications just noted.

continuity of operation which is not obtainable No claim is made herein to the method oftr'ating carbonizable material wherein distinct spaces or channels are formed in the charge and draw ing a fluid heating medium through said channels, whether said channels be formed with norous material or not, as said method forms the basis of our application Serial No. 418,612, filed January 4, 1930, Patent No. 1,948,515. Neither is any claim made herein to the method of and apparatus for forming the channels in the charge as herein set forth and as shown in Figs. 14 to 19, both inclusive, as the same forms the subject matter of our copending application Serial No.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for treating charges of carbonizable material having preformed channels of inert material extending therethrough from the upper to the lower face of the charge, the combination of a retort having an opening formed in thelower portion thereof; a chamber in communication with said opening; an open top receptacle; a removable bottom for the receptacle,

1 said bottom having openings therethrough;

means for moving said receptacle into the retort from the chamber aforesaid; a "source of fluid heating medium located in the upper portion of the retort; means located in the lower portion of the retort for contacting the removable perforate bottom of the receptacle when the same is in line with the openingin the lower portion of the retort, for raising the bottom and a charge which may be placed within the receptacle upon said perforate bottom, to position the charge within the retort free of the receptacle; and means connected to the lower portion of the retort for drawing the'heating medium downwardly therethrough and through the channels in the charge positioned within the retort.

2. In an apparatus for treating solid charges of carbonizable material having preformed channels of inert material extending therethrough,

from the upper to the lower face of the charge, the combination of a vertical retort having oppositely disposed openings in two of its side walls; a chamber communicating with each of said openings; means for closing said chambers at the outer portions thereof; at least two receptacles; a bottom having openings therein for each receptacle, said bottom being removable therefrom in an upward direction; means for moving a receptacle with a charge of material to be carbonized from one of the chambers aforesaid into the retort; means located in the lower portion of the retort for engaging the under surface of the removable bottom of such receptacle and elevating the same, together with the charge within the receptacle; means for engaging the movable bottom thus elevated when the charge is moved therewith into the upper portion of the retort;

means for lowering the elevating means clear of the receptacle; means for moving a second receptacle having a.charge therein into the retort beneath the elevated perforate bottom then within the retort; means for removing such elevated perforate bottom from beneath the charge; and means for drawing a fluid heating medium downwardly through the retort and consequently through the channels in the charges thus positioned within the retort.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein means is provided for periodically removing the uppermost layer of a charge within the retort when the same has been carbonized.

" i 4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein means provided for removing the uppermost layer ofthe charge within the retort and means is provided also for elevating the charge as a whole toward the source of fluid heating medium.

5. In an apparatus for treating charges of carbonizable material having preformed channels of I inert material extending therethrough from the said receptacle with a charge of material therein into the retort above the head; means for engaging the bottom and holding it in an elevated position with the charge thereon when said bottom is moved upwardly in the retort by the head; and means for drawing gases from the combustion chamber downwardly through the retort and channels formed by the charge of material positioned therein.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, where in means is provided for moving a second charged receptacle into the retort beneath the perforate bottom supporting the first positioned charge, together with means for removing said bottom from between the superimposed charges,

7. In an apparatus for treating carbonaceous materials, the combination of a vertical retort having a combustion chamber in the upper portion thereof and having oppositely disposed opening in two oppositely disposed side walls of the retort below the combustion chamber with a recess in the inner face of each of the other side walls between said openings; a chamber in communication with each of said openings; means for closing the outer end of each of said chamhere; a receptacle for the material to be treated, said receptacle having a pair of oppositely dis- I posed outwardly projecting vertical members, and

said receptacle being of such cross-sectional dimensions that its side walls stand flush with the inner side faces of the side walls of the retort when positioned therein; a perforate bottom for said receptacle; means for elevating said bottom and the charge of material imposed thereon and moving them outwardly of the top of the receptacle; means engaging and sustaining the bottom when it is so positioned; and means for drawing a gaseous heating medium from the combustion chamber downwardly through the charge of material; and means mounted in the recesses in the side walls aforesaid for'contacting and removing the false bottom.

8. In an apparatus for treating carbonaceous materials, the combination of a vertical retort having a combustion chamber in the upper portion thereof and a pair of oppositely disposed openings formed in opposite walls of the retort below said chamber with a recess in the inner face of each side wall between said openings; a chamber connected to the retort at each of said openings and in direct communication therewith; a receptacle for the material to be treated, said receptacle being of such height as to pass within the recesses aforesaid and of a width such as to bring the inner faces thereof flush with the adjacent walls of the retort; a pair of vertical oppositely disposed guides carried by the receptacle; 2. perforate bottom for the receptacle, said bottom having opposite disposed outwardly extending lugs designed to cooperate with the guides upon the receptacle; means for raising the bottom from the receptacle and stripping the charge carried thereby from the receptacle; means independent of the bottom raising means for holding said bottom in an elevated position free of the receptacle; and means for drawing gases from the combustion chamber downwardly through the charge of material.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein rams are provided to engage the lugs upon the bottom to move the same outwardly into one of the chambers connected to the retort.

'10. In an apparatus-for efiecting thecontinuous operation of charges of. carbonizing coal having a series of vertically disposed channels extending therethrough from face to face and filled with material inert to the temperature of the heating medium employed, the combination of a retort having an opening formed in the lower portion thereof; a chamber in communication with said opening; an open top receptacle; a removable perforated bottom for said receptacle for supporting the material to be treated; means for moving said receptacle into and out of the retort through the chamber aforesaid while the retort is in operation; a source of fluid heating medium located in the upper portion of the retort; means located in the lower portion of theretort and contacting the removable perforate bottom of the receptacle for raising the same and the charge. supported thereon; means in the upper portion of the retort for removing the coke'd charge of coal; and means connected to the lower portion of the retort for drawing the heating medium and evolved gas downwardly through the channels in the charge.

11. In an apparatus for treating charges of carbonizable material having preformed channels of inert material extending therethrough from ,the upper to the lower face of the charge, the

combination of a retort having an opening formed in the lower portion thereof; a chamber in communication with said opening; an open-top receptacle; a removable bottom for the receptacle, said .bottom having openings therethrough; means for moving said receptacle into the retort from the chamber aforesaid; a source of fluid heating medium located in the upper portion of the retort; means located in the lower portion of the retort for contacting the removable perforate bottom of the receptacle, when the same is in line with the opening ,in the lower portion of the retort for raising the bottom and a charge which may be placed within the receptacle upon said perforate bottom, to push the charge up into the retort free of the receptacle; and means acting at the lower portion of the retort for drawing the heating medium downwardly therethrough and through the channels in the charge positioned within the retort.

IRA H. DERBY. HAROLD R. HORN'ER. 

